Sheriff’s Blotter

A deputy contacted a suspicious vehicle in the upper parking lot at Totten Lake. As he was speaking with two subjects standing outside of the vehicle, he observed a third subject bending down to avoid being seen in the back seat of the vehicle. The subject stayed in that position. The deputy asked him what he was doing. The subject said that he wasn’t doing anything but listening to music. When asked why he was bending down so the deputy couldn’t see him, he said there was no reason. After he was asked to step out of the vehicle and asked if he had anything illegal on him, he admitted to having a pipe in his pocket. The pipe was of a type commonly used to smoke marijuana. The subject told the deputy that he used it to smoke tobacco, but had used it to smoke marijuana one time. He was issued a summons for possession of drug paraphernalia and released.

MONDAY, AUG. 13

A deputy was dispatched to County Road G for a REDDI Report, and was advised that an older SUV had been driven there by a subject who was very intoxicated. He contacted the male subject and told him why he was stopping him. The male subject said that he had been drinking earlier and had three beers but didn’t feel drunk. The deputy observed several physical indicators of intoxication in the man, and when he asked him for his driver’s license, was told that he didn’t have one. The deputy told him that was another reason he should not be driving, and the subject stated that he understood and that he wouldn’t drive. He was told to call someone to come and get him and the other passengers and have a sober, valid driver come and get his vehicle. The subject stated he would call his sister. Status checks were run on the two other occupants of the vehicle. The male passenger came back with a warrant, and was arrested. The driver turned out to have a revoked license for Habitual Traffic Offender. The female passenger came back as not on file, but dispatch advised that the female possibly goes by an alias, as well as having several others. The deputy asked her for ID and she claimed that she didn’t. The deputy asked her whose purse was on the passenger floorboard, and she denied that it was hers. The driver of the SUV gave the deputy permission to look in the purse and told him that it belonged to the woman. When the deputy opened the purse, he could smell fresh marijuana. He also found an photo ID card identifying the woman with a different name than what she had given. The picture was of the woman. He found two unsmoked joints in the purse, and asked the woman if they were hers. She stated, no, they weren’t and it wasn’t her purse. The deputy showed her the photo ID card he had found, and she admitted the items were hers. She was issued a summons, and the male driver was reminded to have someone come pick him up and said that his sister was on the way. They were left at the location to wait for their ride, and the male passenger was transported to jail.

The driver in the previous report was arrested during a traffic stop at the intersection of Hwy. 160 and CR 21. The deputy had made contact with this driver and his passengers at a traffic stop earlier in the same day and had told him not to drive his SUV any further. He had told the deputy that his sister was coming to pick him up. After taking the male passenger in to jail for a warrant, the deputy was advised by dispatch that a vehicle had arrived at the location he had left the two subjects. The vehicle pulled up and then left, and then the two subjects he had stopped earlier got back into the SUV and drove away from the location and headed toward Hwy. 160. The deputy found the vehicle with the same male driver he had stopped before and contacted him again. When asked why he was driving after the previous stop, the driver stated “I just wanted to go home.” The driver failed voluntary roadside maneuvers, and was taken to jail and charged with and issued a felony hold for Driving with a Revoked License as a Habitual Offender, DUI, and DUI over .08.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15

A deputy traveling north on Hwy. 160 attempted to pull over a car with no front plates. The vehicle applied its brakes as if to stop, but then continued on, pulling across a county road and coming to a stop in front of a gate. The driver immediately got out despite the deputy yelling at him to stay inside the car, and then appeared to head towards the deputy, who drew his weapon and ordered him to show his hands. He still did not comply, and was ordered to get on the ground. The driver then gestured toward the car and fled on foot. The deputy stayed with the car which had three adult occupants and two small children. They were held at gunpoint until other units arrived at the scene. The kids were turned over to an aunt of one of the female passengers, who was the mother of the children. None of the adult passengers had warrants and they were released. One of the women, who was the suspect’s girlfriend, spoke with the deputy. She stated that he had run because he had warrants out for his arrest. She confirmed that he was the same suspect that had fled from deputies two weeks ago on County Road G, heading west toward the Utah state border. When asked where he would be heading to now, she stated that he would probably try to run back to Utah. The deputy remembered the suspect because he had fled during two previous stops. Dispatch advised that he had three warrants for his arrest and his license was revoked for alcohol. The car was towed and the plates were recovered, as they did not belong to the car. Officers were able to locate the suspect later and he was placed under arrest. The suspect stated that he knew he was going to jail because he had warrants out for his arrest. He was charged with Violation of Bond, Escape, and Drove with Revoked License — Alcohol Related. He received two more counts of charges related to the previous escape incident that had happened a few weeks earlier.

THURSDAY, AUG. 16

A deputy was requested to assist Cortez Police with an active fight in progress at a location on E. Montezuma St. He arrived to find two police officers in the parking lot with three female subjects. One officer was speaking with a female who was lying on her back in the parking area. The female had violated bond conditions that she not consume alcohol, and the deputy was asked to take her into custody due to all police officers on duty were dealing with a stabbing that had just occurred at Blondie’s bar. The woman was intoxicated and had a small amount of blood on her lips from the altercation. She declined medical attention and once she received medical clearance, was issued a summons and transported to jail for booking.